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POST removes closed subtest from entry exam; advisory committee hears spike in scores and mixed views on standards
Summary
POST staff told the advisory committee that removing the closed reading subtest from the Post Entry‑Level Law Enforcement Test Battery raised mean total T‑scores from about 42 (2024) to roughly 49.7 in 2025; committee members asked whether higher pass rates reflect improved measurement or lowered standards and flagged downstream costs for agencies.
POST staff on Thursday reported that the agency removed the closed reading portion of the Post Entry‑Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (commonly called Appellate B or PELB) earlier this year after a study found the closed subtest added little incremental value.
Melanie Singley, staff services manager in POST’s Strategic Communications and Research Bureau, told the advisory committee that the closed subtest was difficult to transfer to an online platform and was “redundant enough with the other PELB subtests, specifically vocabulary and reading comprehension, that it did not provide any additional value.” She said POST had recommended recalibration of scoring and item revisions to the bank to improve clarity and comparability across paper‑and‑pencil and online formats.
The committee’s researcher, Joanna Medina, presented short‑term score data. “From January 2024 to December 2024, the total T score was 42,” she said. “And then for January 2025, after the closed subtest was removed through November 2025, the total T score mean was 49.73.” Medina said the team also updated items in the databank to remove poorly performing questions.
Committee members warned that the change’s effect on pass rates carries operational consequences for agencies. One member described a local agency that saw a 49 percent increase in pass rate and said that led to higher background‑check workloads and associated costs. Another participant representing a state agency reported higher initial academy failure rates on report‑writing and said that increased passing on the exam has not uniformly translated into success in field training or specialized academy work.
POST staff repeatedly urged agencies to review local pass‑point practices. “POST does not require a set cut score,” Singley said; the agency “recommends a range of between 40 and 45 and a general pass point of 42,” and encouraged local agencies to set pass points appropriate to their candidate pools and monitor downstream performance.
The committee asked staff to return with longitudinal performance metrics in March, including whether candidates who did poorly previously but now pass the exam succeed in academy coursework and field training, and whether the online platform and item revisions produce meaningful, sustained differences.
No formal action was taken by the advisory committee on the testing change during the meeting; the session recorded discussion and a request for follow‑up performance data.
